Freezing machine



A. J. TACCHELLA 2,5@8,435

FREEzNG MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet l May 23, 1950 Filed April e, 1945 ATTORNEY May 23, 195.0 A. J. TACCHELLA 2,508,435

l FREEZING MACHINE v 5 sheets-sheet Filed April 6, 1945 l ,Y Y Y; INVENTOR.

ANDREW J TACCHELLA May 23, 1950 A. J. TACCHELLA FREEZING MACHINE C5 Sheets-Sheet 5 G/ 4o 5 y i, 66

42 El \L l l lb INVENTOR.

ATTORN EY Patented May 23, '1950 FREEZING M'AemNE .Andrew-LTacchellallrtland, ores... assigner t Steady .Flow-Freezer Co., Portlandl .corporationjof Oregon' Application Apri-lf 6'-, 1945, Serial No. 586,967

This inventionrelatesto. freezing machines and more particularly to .automatic .freezing .and dis;- pensingmachines.

The primary object of..my.:inventionis.tn provide a machine .wherein .fresh .mix ,issupplied to thel freezer simultaneously with. the withdraw-ing ordispensing of thefrozen cream. lIt,isanobject of the. invention. to .provideamachine in which fresh .mix willreplace the finished` Y,productas it isbeing withdrawnfrom the .freezerpandthat the fresh mix :will be soaddedto thefreezerthatait will '..be thoroughly mixed and frozen .before it reaches. the .dispensing end. of .the freezer. This is accomplishedby .f a. specialmeasuring `.valv.e.;.1ocated between .the.lprepared..mix `and...the freezing chamber. .The .Valve is...o.perated inconnection with the .mechanism for.. operating f. the. discharge gate for dispensingthefinishedproduct. Ifurther provide. a v,means within .the freezer. .for .Iretarding the. forward flovvof .the freshmix towards the-.dispensing end-.of .the freezer.

-A still further. object ofemyrinvention .is .to .provide .a machineincluding a mechanical. operating device within the freezerfcabinet ...for ymeasuring thev amount .ofz frozen.. productheing dispensed.. at the same timejmeasuring theamountof freshmix heingladded tothe freezer:v taking .theplaceof the finishedproduct having been. dispensed.

Y. Another Yobjectof. my invention to;provide a machine forcarrying out objects of .theinvention and having simplicity .of designwherein. all of the parts,are-readilyaccessible and easy to keep clean and sanitary.

. The novel. features that are considered/.characteristic...of;the. inventionare set;v forth .ewith particularity. in theappendedclairns. :The invention itself, however, `.both as to its organization andnfits method of operation, together Mwitnadditional objects and advantages thereof,..will best be understood from. the following .description of a specific embodimentwvhen read in connection with the. accompanying drawings,L wherein like .reference characters indicate like parts lthrouglzioutfthe several figures and in which:

Figure 1.is.a sideview, partially in cross-Sectio and partiallyin elevationof..a,ffreezing machine in accordance with Ythe invention.

f Figure 2 is a frontview in .perspective of the machine .shown in Fig. 1.

Figure `3V is a fragmentary view partiallyl in. cross-section, of a measuring` valvefin measuring position. f

1 Figure -4 .is a fragmentary: view, partially 'in cross-section.. of the .valve-shown in'Fig. 3 .in vthe dispensing position. Y A v .lleins (CL 6.2.12)

AEigure afragrnentary .cross-.sectional VView takenpnfline 5&5 of Eigure.1,.and showingeplan of. part ofthe control mechanism.

.Figure BJS-afragmentary. side View of .the1foot operating and dash .pot .arrangement after l.the foot pedallhas been depressed.

.Eigure .'7 `a.fragmentary -side ,view in .elevationf .the upper end oi .the -Dushrod `actuating the shut .off gate and having .actuated the measuring valve.

YReferring new to the drawingsspecifically to Fig. 1, ,a. .machme. in accordance .withthe :present invention.. comprisesa cabinet.. I ...having air. ezing drum ,assembiw mounted theren. ,The freezing. assembly.` ordrurn '.2. consists oianinner cylinder terminating in a .ange, WhiCh...iS mountedtotheiront 5 of the cabinet] by any suitable means. .The drum assembly maybe f urthergsupportedvby .thesupporting vpedestal 6.

.A motor, 8. an d. speedreducing `device 9 drives theshait AIll which .is journalledin a suit able bearing I I .SCIPiIlg-b1fide, assembiy l is fixedly mounted to and is revolvedbvtheshait I A beater rotor I2 4is rotatably mounted .on thesnaft l0,.andwhenshiftedendwise .or tneshaft may-be locked in eneagementwith the assembly .'Il ,at I3 bythe .doe Lili. i'lhis he.ater.rotorcan, be thrown in .and out. otrotation .by the. knob I 2..

.Tneusual freezing, coils., I5 surrcundthefreezinecylinderztand have-insulation I therearound. The. coils I 5 receivererigerant from. .therefrigerantiiquefiyirie .unit --I I, -indicated indotted lines ineligll bytway of the connections; 1I 8 and expansion valve or ot'nersnitalole control means 1.8.. The freezing or evaporator-compressor apparatus may comprise any suitable and `well known construction.

In Aaddition to the freezing apparatus, ,a mix Supplyltanki is mounted;V within` the upper..,part othe cabinet, I. Lhave provided. aspecial meas.- uring valve assembly p2 il floetweentlle supply. tank wand the mixing cylinder 3.

-Themeasuring valvelv assembly 2li, referring; to Eigures. 3 andv .4, .comprises a cylinder 2i, having a special` piston;22 workingatherein. `A piston rod 23 .extends through the stuiiing .box iand termi; natesin asuitablecross headoZS. Inl Figure 3 it will .be; .notedythat the piston 'does' Vnot coverv the portglzleadingfrom the .tank I9 andis covering the port 21 leading to theffreezing cylinder `3. The mix Willowinto thepistong 2&2 and vthey cylinder .2 I whle ,in this position, but when lthe piston ismoved; to` 4the .position; showny in Figure. 4 .the port .26..wi11 .be .closed and ithev port 21 opened, at thesame ytime rthe pistonv 22. will forciblyeject the towards the measuring valve assembly 20.

within the special yoke 35 of the operating mechanism, which will hereinafter be described. The

piston 22 can be readily removed from the cylin-V Y der 2| by removing the gland nut 3 I.

When the mix enters the freezing cylinder -3 by way of the port 32, it is desirable to retard;

its flow to the opposite end of the freezing cylinder. This is accomplished by the mixing paddles 33 being inclined in a direction as to force the mix to the rear of the freezing cylinder 3, or to where it enters at 32. The object of course is to Ainsure a complete mixing of the mix before it reaches the dischargeY end of Vthe mixing .and freezing chamber. I do not wish to be limited to the mechanical method which I have illustrated, as other equivalents may be used so long as it retards the flow forward ofthe mix. In the design of my-freezing chamberv I-make the Ylength of the same relatively long in comparison to its diameter to insure .a more complete mixing and freezing of the product. Y

y I have found in the dispensing of creams and the like that it is most desirable to have a controlled andmeasured dispensing of the product, therefore I have provided a mechanism for accomplishing the desired result. I use the well known shutter or Vcut off gate 35, which is pivotally mounted at 36 and covers the discharge opening 31, indicated in dotted position in Figure 2. Ordinarily this shutter is opened by hand, but I have provided `a means of operating this shutter by the foot of the operator and controlling the duration ofopening by a mechanism that I will now describe. lA Vfoot pedal' 38 is pivotally mounted at 39 and has alever Yarm 49 extendingwithin the cabinet. A dash pot 4| including a piston, not

shown, andrhavingra piston rod 42 is Vmounted within the cabinet, thepiston rod 42 being pivotally lconnected at 43 to thelever 44, which in turnis pivotally `mounted at 45 to the bracket arm 4S atrits one end and having its other end 41 resting on top of the lever arm' 4U of the foot pedal 38. The lower end 49 of a vertically posi-V tionedrodr5|l is located above the end 41 of the lever 44. When the foot pedalV is depressed it will raise Ythe lever 44 by contacting the end'41, which also raises the piston within the dash pot cylinder 4| taking air in through the check valve 48 into the dash pot cylinder. When the lever 44 is raised, it contacts. the end 49 of the push rod 450, raising the rod 59 through its guide 5|, contacting the bell crank assembly 52, forcing theV connecting rod- 53 against, theV spring. 54 The yoke 30, `which forms part of the rod 53,V isV also pushedin the direction of the arrow, forcing the measuring valve piston 22 to the position shown in Figure 4dispensing a measured amount of mix into the cylinder 3 by way of the portV 32 as heretofore described. Y Y

When the push rod 50 is raised it also opens the dispensing gate 35. A crank arm 55 is fixed-v ly mounted to the cross shaft 56 andis connected The cross shaft 56 has a crank arm 58 xedly mounted thereto and connected to the push rod 59 by a connecting rod 59. As the push rod 5B is raised, it rocks the cranks 58 and 55 by the connecting rod 59, opening the gate 35 through the connecting rods 59 and 51. When the lever 44 is raised about its pivot point 45, a, bell crank 6U, forming part of the'lever 44, frees the push rod 5| so that it maybe forcedto the left, as shown in Fig. l, kby the spring 62, pivoting the ratchet 63 about its center 64 to engage the notch Y|35 in the adjacent side of the push rod 59 when vit, is raised, best illustrated in Figure 6.

illustrated inv Figure-7, it has allowed the bell crank assembly 52 to return to the position illus- Vtrated in Figure lgpermitting the measuring valve assembly toV beretracted and recharged, ready for another cycle of operation, but in the position shown in Figure 7 the push rod 50 is holding the shut o gate 35 in ydispensing position due to the ratchet 63 engaging the notch 65, as shown in Fig. 6. When the foot pedal 38 is released theA spring 66 returns the lever 44 to the starting position, showninFigure 1. .v An adjustable air relief valve 61 allows the piston within the dash pot 4| to return to starting position ata predeterminedrate. When the bell crank 6|) of the lever.44 again contacts the end of the push rod 6| itV will disengage the ratchet,r 63, disengaging it from Vthe notch 65, allowing. the push rod 50 to be returned to starting posi.. tion by the spring 58, thereby closing the gate 35.' The period Vof time that the gate 35 is held open is determined by the adjustment of the relief. valve 61 which controls the return movement of. the dash pot piston .andthe operation of ther` lever 44, which causes the release of the push rod 50 as heretofore described. Y; l Referring .to Figure 5 the bell crank assembly 52consists of a cross. shaft 69 having a crank arm 16 xedly mounted thereon to which the rodv 53 is pivotally connected. On the opposite end of the Yshaft a ratchet arm 1| is loosely mounted to the shaft 69. VThe shaft having a pin 12 ix-A edly secured therein against. which the shoulder 13 of the ratchet engages when it is raised by the push rod 59. A spring 14 maintains the ratchet arm 1| against this pin but permits the arm 1| to resiliently pivot about theshaft 69 awayfrom' thelpin .12. The pushrod 50 has a laterallyextending lug 15 on its upper end that engages the end of ratchet arm .1| .whentherod 5U is raised. The stroke of therod 5l) is greater than the arc of Aengagementbetween the arm 1| and the lug'15 so that thelug passes the` arm during its .upwardmovement Therefore,

the lug 15 of the pushv rod k5|) mustvpass the end. of the ratchet arm 1| on its return stroke and` this is permittedby .the spring 14.V As the lug 15 is lowered, it engages andpivots the arm 1| against the actionof the spring Y14. During the lowering movement: the spring 14 allows the: ratchet arm 1| to revolve about the shaft |59.A permitting the lug 15 to Ypass by the end of the. ratchet. After thelug 15 passes the.. arm 1|,

the'arm is biasedback Vagainst the pin 12 byy the spring 14, inoperative position, as shown in Fig. 1. The amount. of mix permitted to enter the freezing chamber may be determined by the adjusting nut or turnbuckle 16 being adjusted .to

change the length ofthe rod 53; When the mazchine has been in operation it is easy for the, operator to determine Vthe adjustment aof the measure valve admitting the proper amount of; mix for replacing the product dispensed.` Y

be easilyf'eleaeugihavihg ix ecntairfer 1| siv is of:

tiesigir'thatini ay y .bcttmfcorners e transparent llevel indiy ting :device l'iis located fs ht ll'itf'c'i Abeobse ed h'rougli fthe opening' -I nf the i .ront {oi' fthef cabinet. -A free movable t'opl'l covers tlielinix container I9 together with the cabinet l and is provided with an opening and fa yclosure i311 therefor, giving access to the tank I9. I also provide in the side of the cabinet l a panel 82 permitting access to the interior of the cabinet for making adjustments and for disassembling the parts for cleaning.

I will now describe the operation of the machine. The operator pushes down on the pedal 38 which operates the push rod 50 as heretofore described, opening the dispensing gate 35 operating the bell crank assembly 52, which operates the measuring valve assembly 20, forcing in a predetermined amount of mix into the freezing chamber simultaneously with the product that is being dispensed through the gate 35. The gate 35 is held in open position for a predetermined length of time when it will be closed automatically by the mechanism having just been described.

I do not wish to be limited to the exact mechanical combinations herein described, as other mechanical equivalents may be substituted still coming within the scope of my claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for converting a somewhat liquid mix into a frozen product including a cabinet, a mix container in the cabinet, a freezing assembly in the cabinet, means for delivering the frozen product from one end of the freezing assembly, means for delivering the mix to the opposite end of the freezing assembly, mechanical means for controlling the delivery of the frozen product from the freezing assembly, and means automatically actuated in the operation of the mechanical means for delivering the mix to the freezing assembly during the delivery of the frozen mix, whereby a quantity of frozen mix delivery is replaced in the freezing assembly by a predetermined quantity of the mix to be frozen.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1 wherein the delivery of the mix is controlled by a measuring valve for delivering a predetermined quantity of the mix to the freezing assembly at each operation.

3. A construction as defined in claim 1 wherein the freezing assembly includes means for stirring the material being frozen and the freshly delivered mix, the said means being formed to retard the fiow of the freshly delivered mix toward the delivery end of the freezing assembly.

4. A construction as defined in claim l wherein the mechanical means for operating the delivery of the frozen product from the freezing assembly and for automatically controlling the delivery from the mix container to the freezing assembly includes a delivery gate for the frozen mix, a member for operating the delivery of the mix from the container to the freezing assembly including a push bar, manual means for operating the push bar and connections between the push bar and the gate and between the push bar and the means for controlling the delivery of the mix to the freezing assembly.

5. A machine for freezing a mix and for delivering the frozen mix at will, including a cabinet, a container for the mix arranged at the upper p crtion of the cabinet, a freezing assembly arranged below the container and including a fixed elongated chamber, refrigerating means encircling "the chamber, a delivery outletfatffneiend of the chamber, fa mixer `rotatably -zmountedzin the chamber, a measuring valve betweenthefcontainer'and chamber forrdelivery'fof 4a .predeterrnine'd quantity of vrnixifrom fthe container Sito the chamber, agate :for "controlling1v the'ioutletzfrom 'the Y"chamber r'and 'mar'iual-lyi-operable 'means t'for automatically operatingthe .S'gateandsimultane-a ouslyoperatingthe'valve f 6. A construction as definedincl'aiml'wherein the rotatable mixer includes blades arranged t0 retard the ow of the mix toward the opposite end of the chamber.

7. A construction as defined in claim 5, wherein the valve includes a valve body, a plunger movable in the body and formed with an outlet communicating with the chamber, the body being formed with an inlet communicating with the container and open to the interior of the body in one position of the plunger, the plunger in inlet position opening the inlet from the container and closing the outlet from the chamber and in another position closing the inlet from the container vand -opening the outlet to the chamber.

8. A construction as defined in claim 5 wherein said manually operable means includes a push rod movable in one direction to open the gate and to simultaneously operate the valve to supply mix to the chamber, a movable bar underlying the rod, means for biasing said bar in one direction, means for retarding the biased movement of the bar in said one direction, a pedal for moving the bar in the opposite direction, means for automatically holding the rod in a position to maintain the gate open, and means on the bar for releasing the holding means simultaneously with cessation of the operation of the retarding means.

9. A freezing machine including a freezing chamber, a delivery gate for dispensing the frozen product from said chamber, a mix container arranged to deliver a quantity of mix from said container to the freezing chamber, gate operating means, means for controlling the delivery from the mix container, and means responsive to the operation of the gate operating means for simultaneously operating the mix delivery means.

10. A construction as defined in claim 9, wherein said gate operating means includes delayed action means for closing said gate to limitI the delivery of frozen product from said chamber, and said mix delivery means includes means for delivering the mix from the container in any one delivery operation in proportion to replace the quantity of frozen product delivered through the gate in the simultaneous operation thereof.

11. A construction as defined in claim 9eI wherein the gate operating means and mix delivery means is mechanically operated.

12. A construction as defined in claim 9, wherein the means for controlling the delivery of the mix from the mix container comprises a valve constructed to predetermine the quantity of mix delivered in any one operation.

13. A freezing machine including a freezing chamber to freeze a material therein for delivery at one end of the chamber. a mix container communicating with the freezing chamber, and means for controlling the mix delivery from the container to the freezing chamber simultaneously with and during the delivery of the frozen product from the freezing chamber.

14. A construction as defined in claim 13, wherein the quantity of mix delivered from the container to the chamber is in predetermined 8 16. Aconstruction as 'defined in claim 15, wherein the delivery of -the frozen product is mechanically controlled, and wherein the delivery of the mix is automatically governed in.

5 and as aV result of, such mechanical control.

ANDREW J. TACCHELLA.

No references cited. 

